A Guide to Art, Poetry and Murder
by xAkumax
Summary: After what seems to be an accident, Mikaela struggles as a ghoul whilst his best friend Yuichiro, who has just become his enemy in a world where ghoul and humans are rivals, tries to find him. The pair eventually meet again, but they race to uncover a mystery & save the world. They must find the serial killer before he strikes again. Mostly diverges from anime plot line Slow burn.
1. Prologue: Flickering Streetlights

**A/N Welcome to the fic. I can't be arsed to write my own disclaimer, so here ya go.**

* * *

 **TRIGGER WARNING TRIGGER WARNING TRIGGER WARNING**

 **BLOOD... mild gore?**

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 **.Yuichiro: Damn it! Why do you always have to make me do stupid stuff?!**

 **xAkumax: Because it's fun!**

 **Y: Uuuurrrrggggghhhh... fine. I wrote a haiku about it. You better be grateful!**

 **A:-Snorts and tries to cover it up as a cough but fails-**

 **Y: Don't laugh about it or I won't do it!**

 **A: Geez, fine.**

 **Y: Here we go...**

 **Seraph of the End**

 **A brilliant anime**

 **But** ** _she_** **doesn't own it**

 **A: The last line was six SYLLABLES , not five. A HAIKU IS SUPPOSED TO HAVE 5 SYLLABLES AS THE LAST LINE! CAN'T YOU COUNT?**

 **Y: Sh-shut up! At least I did it - you were too lazy to do it yourself!**

 **A: And where the HELL was Tokyo Ghoul? You were supposed to disclaim that as well!**

 **Y: At least I tried my best! You didn't even bother!**

 **Mika: What the heck is going on here?**

 **A: Mika? How did you get here? You haven't even really appeared in the story yet.**

 **M: Skillz.**

 **A: Never mind (sigh)... I don't own TG either.**

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Fifty miles can sometimes feel like a thousand when you are separated from your family, close friends or a loved one by that surprisingly short distance. Fifty miles away from the tiny flat located at the top of a scrappy apartment building in Japan where Yuichiro Amane currently resided, Mikaela Shindo was sprawled in the dirt, desperately trying to claw his way out of a dark, dinghy alleyway.

His perfect, golden hair was matted with mud and streaked with something dark and sticky. It looked similiar to blood, almost exactly alike, and a dark sticky trail of the stuff started around his chest, crept up to his neck and covered the side of his face. It was definitely blood! His soaking wet shirt clung to his taut body, the strain visible in his muscles as he struggled to push himself up on his arms and failed. They were clearly rendered useless and he collapsed back down onto the pavement. Chest heaving, Mika felt his heart beating a violent tattoo against his ribcage, and rested his cheek against the soggy ground as he tried to catch his breath again. He was completely exhausted, but he had to stay alert. He could get to safety after he was certain that no one was following him, and he wasn't sure if he had managed to throw the spy off his trail yet. Squinting over his shoulder, the young man tried to spot signs of human or even ghoul life, but it was too dark to make anything out.

Legs trembling, Mika collapsed against a grubby wall and slowly slid forwards, leaving another trail of blood gradually descending as he started to fall downwards, before jerking himself upright as he continued to walk along the sidewalk. Sighing heavily through his nostrils, he finally made it out on to a deserted road side, but something felt off. Above his head, a broken lamppost flickered and went out so that he was plunged in darkness. Eyes wide and wild like a deer caught in the headlights, Mika shifted his head from side to side because he was too weak to do anything much more adventurous than that.

Promptly, he pricked up his ears because he had heard something unusual at this time and place. Footsteps. They were gradually increasing pace and sound - they were coming closer! The footsteps broke into a run, and Mika blinked, squinting with his eyes all screwed up as an extremely bright light was shone in his face.

Suddenly, Mika felt himself succumb to his weariness and he sighed briefly. _This is it,_ he thought. _This is the end._ Then his eyes slipped shut and everything went dark.

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 **A/N Originally, this was the first chapter but I decided to make it the prologue and switch it with the original cuz the original was pretty crap so I wanted you guys to get hooked on something good, if a little short.**


	2. Chapter 1: Missing

**A/N This is my first fanfiction so no flames please! Just kidding, but helpful criticism is much appreciated.**

Disclaimer: I do not own either Tokyo Ghoul or Seraph of the End/ Owari no Seraph, and I never will.

* * *

Quietly opening the front door to his tiny but cosy apartment, Yuichiro Amane jumped about a foot in the air as the familiar piercing sound of his house alarm engulfed him in unexpected noise. As he hastily typed out his pin to shut the damned thing up, he wondered where his roommate was. Mikaela worked in a different department to him, but he knew that today was the blonde's day off. _Oh yeah_! The nineteen-year-old grinned suddenly and blew his dark hair out of his eyes.

Mika had been quite stressed lately and his favourite way of relieving himself from it was either getting drunk or getting laid. Yu didn't mind, if his best friend was happy and still sane, it was fine. Still, Yu had to admit he was still a bit too overprotective and could be very hostile and suspicious towards anyone that Mika brought home, which meant that his roommate rarely invited anyone over.

Maybe he was a little bit jealous.

After working out that his best friend was probably getting totally wasted without him,Yu stretched and yawned, rubbing his tired eyes with his knuckles. The teen kicked off his shoes and dumped his bags lazily on the floor, right where Mika would fall over them, before remembering to slam the door shut. Unfortunately, an icy draft had already crept in and given him goosebumps. Shivering, the green-eyed male bent down to pick up several papers that had been blown to the floor by the small gust of wind.

 _This must be information on the case Mika's working on at the moment_. Yu rifled through the papers disinterestedly. He didn't care about this side of the job, the boring paperwork and shitty documents, he cared about exterminating every last ghoul from existence. _After what they had done to him…_ Yu shook his head bitterly – that had been years ago and it felt like it had been months since he had spared the 'incident' a moment's thought. That made sense, since he had vowed to erase the awful memories from his mind, though sometimes it was just so difficult. Yu shook his head again, messy black locks ruffling in the accidental breeze he had just caused.

 _I'm going off topic again_. Yu winced internally, refocusing on the crisp, white paper in front of him. While the person he knew best worked as a detective in the CCG, he was a member who worked mainly in the field. He rarely worked in the office, and Yu definitely liked it that way. Absentmindedly dropping the documents on the table by the door, he stripped off his socks and, after throwing them to the farthest reaches of the corridor, glared pointedly at the blisters gleaming on his ankles.

"Stupid CCG and their stupid uniform," Yu muttered under his breath,"How am I supposed to fight - let alone run - if my feet are bleeding cause of their stupid shoes?" A moment later he was sighing contentedly as his aching feet sank into the plush rug and once again he ran his fingers through his hair.

Velvety carpet snug between his toes, he casually strolled down the cramped hallway before entering his tiny bedroom. His favourite room in the whole flat still looked exactly like it had for the past year and a half – dirty washing and scrunched up pieces of paper littered the floor like confetti, the four walls crudely graffitied with messy scribbles and doodles that Yu proudly claimed were 'works of art'.

Mika described them as 'bullshit'.

* * *

Flinging himself onto his bed, the teen gazed up thoughtfully at the P! ATD poster taped to the ceiling above his head. It was a habit of his – to gaze up into Brendon Urie's warm, brown eyes and to contemplate life. This, however, had led Mika to believing that his roommate had a massive crush on the main singer of an emo band. Grimacing at the horrendous thought, Yu rolled over on to his side so that he ended up staring out of the window at the brightly-lit city streets below. It was a humid summer's night in late May, but there was a surprisingly fierce thunderstorm going on outside and bright flashes of lightning lit up the dark clouds above every ten seconds which made it impossible for Yu to think like he usually did.

A sudden bolt of lightning raced across the sky like a whip-lash, and the young male jumped slightly, surprised, but soon resumed his favourite pastime. Yu loved thinking – it sounded silly but his own mind was a tranquil escape from the real world – safe from the dangers and the shadows of his past. He could distract himself from his guilt, how he was haunted every day by his past deeds.

Yu continued to gaze out of the window, his eyes a little glazed as he wasn't really concentrating. There were still several people running around outside, clearly caught unawares by the sudden storm and had forgotten to bring an umbrella. Several were crouching underneath shop fronts, waiting hopefully for the rain to stop, whilst others bravely trudged through the city streets, sheltering under wide, colourful umbrellas. The young ghoul investigator had always wondered why there were such things as 'colourful umbrellas'. _They are just tools, useful for only one thing, so why bother?_ Life was too short to have rainbow umbrellas. _Unless you are going to Pride and don't want to get covered in glitter, but everyone secretly loves glitter._ Yu spotted an unlucky couple walking along, holding bemittened hands and bending over slightly as a shelter from the wind. Yu smiled to himself. The couple, completely unaware of his scrutinising stare, continued along morosely, wishing they were at home in bed watching Pulp Fiction or something whilst drinking hot chocolate. Okay, maybe not Pulp Fiction. Snorting, Yu shook his head in disbelief. He was laughing at the fact that they were completely decked out in warm winter clothes like neon woolly scarves and those stupid beanie-hats with giant fluffy pom-poms on.

Yu paused. He had always secretly wanted a rainbow one, but there was no way in HELL that he was ever gonna let Mika know that. Unless the person he was very much in love with found out his secret desires, he would never own a fabulous hideous beanie that he could wear to Tokyo Pride.

Burying his face in his pillow, Yu wondered how it had come to this. How on earth he had fallen in love with his best friend, Yu had no idea. But he had decided to confess to him on the eleventh anniversary of the day they had met – the 12th of May 2019 – which happened to be tomorrow. _Classy, I know_. Yu thought to himself miserably. He had been too much of a coward (though he would never admit it out loud) to tell him on the 10th anniversary of the day that they had met, but he was almost certain that he could do it this time.

 _Almost._

* * *

Anyway, if Mika rejected him or didn't return his feelings then he could just pretend it was a prank or a really late April's Fools, like reaaaally late. Yu checked his phone quickly, the familiar heart warming photo that Yu had taken on Mika's eighteenth birthday greeting him as his lockscreen. He had taken it when he had just crossed the line between intoxication and on the very edge of staying sober. With half an arm around the shoulder of the afore-mentioned person, he had just who missed Mika on the cheek, turning him bright red with embarrassment. Yu had treasured the photo ever since and still got butterflies in his stomach from looking at it. _The feeling…_

The time had just turned ten thirty and Yu decided that soon he had better flick off the lights and try and get some sleep before his incredibly early start tomorrow morning, 4.40am exactly. He had a stupid meeting that he was determined to miss at least half of but he still had to leave incredibly early even if he wanted to be late. _Who the fuck even has meetings that early anyway? Bloody hell…_

Yawning again, Yu got up with some difficulty, longing to hide under his duvet from his responsibilities but it was not to be. He had one last thing he had to do before he flopped into bed, which if he could, would be on his extremely long list of things to procrastinate against. He was currently soaked in blood (thankfully most of it wasn't his own) and caked in mud from head to toe - though that was a slight exaggeration because he wouldn't have lain down on the bed if he was that dirty - and he had to go wash it off in the shower. Usually, Yu was very fussy about his hygiene and appearance but he had a small problem with his apartment's running hot water. In his shower, it was only warm for about thirty seconds, until suddenly it would turn freezing cold and it would feel like a thousand tiny daggers were stabbing his back and he had to run dramatically outside and let out a very high pitched scream. Most of the time Yu would just grit his teeth and deal with it but today he felt like shit. Something just felt off to him.

Still, if he didn't clean up from his last fight with a ghoul, then it would just be uncomfortable, he would stink and it would be gross – even if he was used to this. It was his job after all. As he purposefully strode out of his room, the teen promptly tripped over the bags that he had SPECIFICALLY left out to annoy Mika.

"FUCK!" Yu swore loudly, hopping around on one foot like a deranged fairy. His eyes began to well up with salty tears of pain, like he was a kid again. "Wha… what the hell?" _Th_ _is is insane!_ He bashed his fist against the wall in anger, but that only increased his pain and irrational irritation, because now he was aching in two places.

What was happening – all he had done was stub his stupid toe and now he was crying like a little baby and throwing a temper tantrum? It didn't make any sense. Hiccupping, Yu searched his mind for a rational reason for what just happened. It was so random, and completely out of the blue that he could not find a logical explanation for the strange event that had just taken place. Yu sniffed loudly, wiping his runny nose on his sleeve. A little gross but Mika had taken the tissues hostage in his room and Yu was too terrified to attempt to retrieve them after what had happened last time.

* * *

Mika…

A cold and empty feeling grew in the pit of his stomach, until it felt like there was a herd of vicious butterflies rampaging through his stomach. Yu didn't care if butterflies didn't rampage or that he had no clue what the collective pronoun for butterflies was, it wasn't important enough. All he knew was that he was scared out of his wits – but that it wasn't for his sake. Oh no, for a certain blue-eyed male. He didn't know why, but he was almost certain that he was about to lose Mika to some unseen super-natural force, and it terrified him. The feeling down there – no not down there – intensified at this sudden realisation, and he was certain that it was a gut feeling. The steady pattering of rain against the tiled rooftops outside continued along with everything else in the world, as if nothing was the matter. But it was.

Traipsing along the narrow corridor, Yu shook his head vigorously as if to clear his head of rubbish. _It couldn't be possible, could it?_ But deep down, Yu knew that he was right. He turned left into the small bathroom, before collapsing on the toilet seat with his head in his hands. Gradually, his heartbeat slowed down and his breathing resumed to normal from the harsh, unsteady rasps of only a short while ago. Twiddling his thumbs, he caught sight of the faded scars on his wrists and turned his hand to peer at them. Yu gently touched the pale lines blemishing his perfect skin, remembering the weight and feel of the knife as he tore his skin apart, the crimson blood streaming down his arm. They were a painful memento of his childhood, but whenever he caught sight of them, they only revived sharp emotions of guilt and regret and a bitter taste on his tongue. Yu sighed, rising from the toilet seat and making his way over to the tiny shower to clean himself up. He passed a miniature window set into the window on his way.

A sudden flare of light from a random flash of lightning illuminated the sharp angles of his handsome face, lighting up his sparkling, emerald eyes for a split second. The dazzling, emerald eyes of a cold-blooded murderer.


	3. Chapter 2: Amnesia Part One

**A/N Okay, so I haven't updated since July. But I'm gonna start now. I edited up a couple things, so I hope you enjoy it and that later on it makes more sense. I wrote this chapter a while back, so my writing style has probably changed. I've changed as well. However, I only wrote the last part a couple minutes ago so if the ending is better or worse you know why. To a couple people who know me on here - I wrote this over summer and haven't changed _anything._ Yeah. Inner cringe right? **

**Disclaimer: The website this is posted on is called Fanfiction, and it is a website for posting fanfiction. This is a fanfiction. According to Urban Dictionary, a fanfiction is when someone takes either the story or characters (or both) of a certain piece of work, whether it be a novel, tv show, movie, etc, and create their own story based on it. Sometimes people will take characters from one movie and put them in another, which is called a cross-over. That is what I have done, and from that short explanation you can tell that I do not own it, as it is _from_ a certain piece of work, and I did not create it. Therefore, I do NOT own Seraph of the End/ Owari no Seraph or Tokyo Ghoul.**

 **Side Note: I do not own Urban Dictionary, Fanfiction or (sadly) Nico Collins/ Jeremy Zucker or any of their music.**

 **Song/s of the Chapter: Take Me Away - Nico Collins/ comethru - Jeremy Zucker**

 **Literally any song by Nico will do because of his specific style but the suggested song and another called Alone are the best fit. If you couldn't tell I live for his music.**

 **Also...**

 **TRIGGER WARNING TRIGGER WARNING TRIGGER WARNING**

 **KNIVES / GENOCIDE / MURDER / DESCRIPTION OF DEATH / BLOOD / GORE / LOTS OF DEATH / SUICIDAL THOUGHTS / PSYCHOTIC URGES / BRIEF MENTION OF PROSTITUTION / DEPRESSION**

* * *

 **Wind Chimes and Dismembered Mental States - Synesthesia Part One**

 **"...** and everything went dark."

 _15 hours earlier..._

A baking sun blazed down mightily from its eternal forget-me-not blue blanket constructed from candy-floss clouds and an endless sky. Sternly, it glared down on the busy streets directly below it where a young man with eyes the colour of the sky hurriedly pushed his way through a raucous, bustling crowd. Shoving, elbowing, tripping other innocent citizens up,any method was used to help get through a mob like this on a boiling summers' day, but this particular blonde male refused to resort to such rude and unlawful measures. Though rushing past hundreds of people, he would stop and apologise profusely every time he accidentally bumped into someone, whilst bowing energetically to say sorry and then sprinting off again. This caused him to waste vast amounts of time considering he was trying to catch a bus, but every person he had stopped to flash a winning smile at or caught the eye of and mesmerised with his hypnotic ocean-blue gaze, went along a little happier and they ended up having a slightly better day than usual because of it.

Mikaela Hyakuya often had that effect on people, and family, friends, acquaintances or random strangers who bumped into him on the street who often exclaimed that he was like a warm ray of sunshine brightening up their dismal world, no matter how completely cheesy that made them sound. For those who lived in more unfortunate circumstances or were unhappy in their lives and situations, he was their hope, their angel. However, 'their hope' was about to miss the bus and be late for the first time since the day he was born, and there was absolutely no doubt that his whole life was going to be ruined. Even though he had never been late before in his entire life and was always exactly on time, Mika had an incredibly overactive imagination, so he freaked out and completely broke down in the middle of street. By his definition, of course, which meant walking a little slower than usual. Several seconds later, he had calmed down and increased his pace once again, until for a split second when he glanced up. Suddenly, like a bullet train, the bus that he believed would take him to his destiny sped past so quickly that he had to spit the hair out of his mouth as his fringe was flattened completely against his face. His face vaguely resembled a hairball.

Gob-smacked, he stopped walking straight in the middle of the street. Naturally, people swerved to avoid him, leaving a small gap where he stood in the middle of the pavement and made him feel even more isolated from the rest of the world. How could he ever go out again, and face the shame of missing the bus? No one would want to know him anymore, no one would care about him, and he would stay single for the rest of his life! Ha, what a load of bullshit. He was such a freak he was amazed he actually had any friends. Though they'd probably all leave him at some point anyway.

Though for some strange reason, he constantly tried to find love through what could be described as 'unconventional means'. He wasn't strolling through the Red Light District, but the girls and guys he knew weren't exactly innocent. It was just, _they were all so easy._ Guys and girls alike only wanted him for one thing, and that was his sex appeal. Or his reputation. He could never tell, although it was probably a mixture of both. However, it all came down to the same thing - they didn't love him for who he was. He was searching for someone who could love him for himself, but that search would probably be feutal. Why? **he was worthless**

* * *

 **Aoi} (16:37)**

hi

 **{Mika (16:37)**

Oh hey! Is everything alright?

 **Aoi} (16:41)**

yh just can't make it. nother time?

 **Aoi} (16:44)**

mika? u there?

 **{Mika (16:46)**

Sure. Some... other time.

* * *

He blocked her immediately. What did he expect? This happened time after time after time again - so he really shouldn't be surprised anyone. Still hurt like a bitch though.

Picking up his pace, he put some music on and crossed the road as quickly as possible without even glancing over his shoulder until the very last second- though it could have easily been his very _last_ second. A 6000 ton truck slammed straight past behind him, and it would have crushed him into a flat pancake if he had moved a split second later. Maybe he should have taken off the headphones.

Nonchalantly continuing along, Mika would for forever be completely oblivious to the fact he almost just died. Oh well. It wasn't an unusual occurrence for him anyway. He slowly meandered along, hands on his pockets, his gaze wandering aimlessly with no fixed points as a calming song reverberated in his ears.

Mika smiled absently. Music always managed to cheer him up, but this singer was really something. He had no idea what he was saying since he spoke little English, but he still preferred the originals. Probably because he was a sucker for things that were authentic.

As he walked, his surroundings gradually faded from towering glass skyscrapers and crowded high streets glittering in the sun to a more deserted yet homely area made up of little cottage-like houses, flats and the occasional cafe.

Or, in one particular case, the occasional coffee shop. Mikaela reached a sharp bend and lifted his headphones off his head, resting then on his neck as a temporary make-shift stand, adjusting them to a more comfortable position just above his hoodie as he turned the corner. Just in front of him stood a quaint little cafe known as :Re - it was his personal favourite and he was one of the shop's most frequent customers. The bell jingled quietly as he opened the door. It was a sweet, tinkling sound that always reminded him of wind-chimes in a light breeze, which he had come to associate with a sense of serenity, like he was standing in an calm, green field, enveloping his senses with the sweet, wholesome taste of freedom. Pretty deep cafe, huh?

The familiar scent of freshly ground coffee beans and cake combined with the quiet background music instantly calmed Mika down, and he approached the counter to greet the waitress Touka, who also happened to be the owner of the coffee shop. At least, that's what Mikaela assumed, although she could run it with another person that he never knew existed, but he had never bothered asking about it as he didn't really care and therefore it would waste both of their time.

"Hey Mika," she spoke before he could say anything, open his mouth even,"You'll be wanting the same as usual, right?"

Rolling his eyes playfully, Mika nodded and went and sat at his usual table by the window furthest from the entrance, so he could drink his coffee in peace away from _unwanted attention._ He watched in mild interest as Touka hurried around, taking orders cheerfully with pen in hand, carefully pouring just the right amount of milk into someone's drink to make it deliciously creamy, furiously mixing to make a cake, all seemingly at ease.

He wondered how long she'd been doing this up become such a pro - she was only a few years older than him and already had her own successful business, and he was always one to stake out a new cafe to determine if it were any good, so he knew for a fact that it wasn't family-run because he was one of the first few customers. Her clear, loud voice cut through the quiet murmurings and rowdy chatter like a knife through butter, waking him from his reverie, and when she caught him staring at her, she flashed him a quick, bright smile before turning away. He blushed. He didn't like her or anything, he was just caught off guard... and she was actually really pretty. It was no wonder she had so many admirers.

Glancing up, Mika saw that many people had left already and only a few were left sitting at their tables, sipping their coffee.

Touka slid into the seat opposite him.

"Business is a bit show today so I can actually afford to do this," she said, referring to her sudden appearance. She was focused on folding a piece of oragami out of a paper napkin, and for the life of him Mikaela couldn't work out what it was. He didn't mind though. He much preferred staring at her face. Touka was still talking,"Whenever it's really hot, I lose a lotta customers so if it weren't for you gracing us with your presence every five minutes I'd be broke as Hell!" she snorted, now attempting to cool herself down with the miniature fan she had created. So _that's_ what it was. Then Mika smirked.

"Honestly, you should be more grateful. Everyone else is out getting sunburnt or eating ice cubes with their fancy air-coni on and I'm here supplying you with the majority of your income!"

"I regret ever saying anything. Anyhoo, how did your date go?"

There was an awkward silence, before Mika bit his lip and muttered, "I got cancelled on. Again,"

Touka winced then clapped him on the shoulder brightly. "Cheer up, mate, you'll find the right one eventually!"

Mika shook his head, but she did have a point and at least she got straight to it without dilly-dallying around. But...

"Alright, _mate,_ but you seem to have forgotten my coffee,"

"Oo shit, sorry, it'll be right up!" Touka bustled away as Mika laughed, eyes sparkling. He felt much better about earlier already, even though they had barely talked about it. Touka scurried around, her short dark hair constantly covering her eyes as she worked.

Leaning back into his chair, Mikaela crossed his arms behind his head to make a comfortable pillow he could rest on as he waited for his order. He turned his head as Touka returned from her brief absence in the kitchen to the front of the ship, carrying a tray on which a mug filled with delicious, frothy liquid and a slice of rich dark chocolate cake precariously balanced. She wiggled her eyebrows at him as a form of greeting as she couldn't wave, obviously, and was about to unceremoniously dump his tray on the table when she stopped short and stared at him in shock.

She was looking at him but her eyes were glazed over like she wasn't thinking about him at all. Her face was empty now, devoid of any emotion but a few seconds ago her features were contorted with shock and horror and it worried him. Waving a hand violently in front of her face like a windmill failed to catch her attention, so he gently slapped her cheek, but she suddenly caught his wrist in an iron grip as quickly as an assassin - his reflexes couldn't even contemplate that speed. She was human. How could she possibly be that fast and strong?

"Don't," she hissed venomously, eyes narrowed and lidded like a reptiles,"... ever catch me off guard like that again. I'll let you off this time, but if it happens again..." The threat hung in the air, and he could practically hear the tension crackling between them like the static of a broken television.

Raising his hands in mock surrender, Mika motioned for her to sit down but then leaned forward, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Hey, don't get all up in my face like that!" The young waitress cried out indignantly.

Mika ignored her.

"So, what was all that about?"

Head tilted to the side, he knew he looked a perfect picture of innocence, but he was far from that. Manipulative, obsessive, a massive perfectionist - in fact he was practically the devil incarnate. If only. However, these little traits only tainted the outer edges of his flawless facade, paint peeling off an exquisite masterpiece. But no matter how much he chipped and chiseled away to create a perfect, stone cold statue like everyone wanted, it would always collapse in on itself. But for the time being, he would revel in his effortlessly perfect outward appearances, even ifif had already crumbled away on the inside.

However Touka wasn't fooled, as usual. She was one of the few people who weren't susceptible to his charms, and he loved her for it. But she wasn't about to crack under the look he gave her, the perfect balance of understanding, pity, encouragement and sincerity. Eyes were said to be the window to the soul, but they could also be utilised to mask the truth, and that was a technique Mika had mastered over the years - almost no one could tell what he was really thinking or feeling and he could make just about anyone do what he wanted, they just weren't aware of it. However, two could play at this game and Touka copied him, feigning sweet innocence.

"The weathergirl mentioned that there would be a thunderstorm later today. I hope it's not completely sopping, but it could prob'ly bring in a fresh round of customers looking to warm up with a cuppa," She betrayed no inner turmoil, a sharp contrast but Mika wasn't one to give up when things got interesting. This was a chance to get closer to Touka, unravel her mind and her secrets, her past and possible future. He found every single human being extremely fascinating - each being a whirlpool of swirling thoughts, dreams and passions. A single person was so complex it would take years to examine every little thing that made them tick, scrutinising every cog, wheel and screw no matter how inferior, taking them apart just to put them back together. So he took a chance.

Clasping her hands tightly in his own, Mika looked Touka deeply in the eyes and told her with as much earnesty as he could muster:

"It's fine, you can trust me - we're friends right?" a light tinge of guilt seeped through him as he registered how much those simple words affected her - he knew it was a weakness of hers and he was using it to his advantage. What was he saying? He couldn't feel anything, he was just imagining it to try and close the gaping, empty hole in his chest where his heart should be.

"God just get off me already!" Swiftly moving her hands away, she retracted away from him like an anenome from danger, but opening her fronds again because it was killing her not to get something off her chest - and Mika was determined to know exactly what that was."You just... reminded me of someone I used to know," Mika looked at her. That wasn't the normal reaction of someone who mistook their friends for _someone they used to know,_ and Touka seemed to notice her mistake.

"I mean, I didn't know the person particularly well, but he was... well, the best friend of someone I used to really care about. And...-"

"Were you in love with them?"

"I-I... yes," a light blush caressed her cheeks, but her fists were clenched in her lap, gripping so hard that her knuckles paled, skin taut enough to catch a glimpse of emerald veins peeking through. One cut. One cut and she'd be bleeding out on the floor.

Staring at her intently, Mika waited patiently for her to continue. He could tell that this was a very emotional subject, and that it was taking more of her to talk about this than she let on. The retro lighting briefly illuminated the right-side of her face as she shifted slightly, and Mika noticed that her eyes were glistening with tears. Maybe Touka-Chan was one of the many people who lost someone in the Anteiku raid a couple years ago. Many lives were lost in that particular massacre, and all of their friends and family were affected as well, so Mika wouldn't be surprised if his hypothesis was true.

"But now they're both gone, I've realised how much they both meant to me," Touka wiped away a stray tear as Mika fiddled with a loose thread in the tablecloth, waiting politely for her to recollect herself and her thoughts. After an awkward pause of about a minute, Mika decided it was time to be a _good person,_ and that it was also a good time to speak.

"Touka... I know how it feels to lose someone. There are a million things you wish you could have said, done and a thousand you wish you didn't do. You regret not spending more time with then, and wonder if there was anything you could do so that things turned out differently. But at the same time, you don't want to think about it. You block it out because you don't want to remember the fact that you lost someone you really cared about and that they won't be there for you anymore. You don't want to recognise that they won't be there for you anymore, but in a way it's kind of selfish. Dying doesn't hurt, but the people who you leave behind have to face the consequences,"

"Mika...," she murmured, tears welling up.

"Whoever you lost, they're in a better place now. Don't spend every moment mourning their death, but instead, treasure the memories you had with them and make some more. It sounds harsh but I doubt they would want you to spend your life looking over your shoulder. Keep your eyes on the road ahead of you, and don't let your eyes be blurred with tears of regret. Sometimes the sky will be grey and cloudy, but that's okay. Tomorrow the sky will be clear, and you can walk forward with your friends and family close to your heart, but not holding you back. Treasure their life, but treasure yours as well. Live for them, and never forget. Never forget, and never regret,"

Touka was shaking, hands over her eyes, but Mika said nothing more. He knew that that was enough for her, but didn't move, staying close enough so that she knew he was there and was comforted, but not too close because he knew that the reality is that he wanted someone else with her. But he was a temporary replacement for that.

After a few more tears and some hiccuping, Touka looked up, peeling her fingers away from her blotched cheeks.

"'Tomorrow the sky will be clear'? That's pretty poetic, isn't it?" Touka smirked, "Unless it rains like hell tonight,"

Mika let out a small smile. He was glad to see her looking back to her usual self. He was extremely lucky to have her as a friend, so he did what he could to repay her for putting up with him and his bullshit. Some day someone would be lucky to have her.

"OI! DIPSHIT! PAY ATTENTION TO MOI AND STOP DAYDREAMING ABOUT ALL THE PEOPLE YOU WANNA BANG!"

Or maybe not.

"As I was saying, I'm gonna shut up shop and then we can go out for the day! Now hurry up and finish your food!" Mika blanched. That was practically a 180° from her previous mood, but he was used to this. To put it simply, Touka was a bit crazy but that was exactly why they got along.

Mika chugged down his coffee as Touka gradually nibbled away larger and larger crumbs until he gave up and gave it to her, which she was extremely grateful for with the explanation:"Yomo's cake is the best!". However, he had always thought it tasted weird and shoved it off as a little too much salt. They sat there in a comfortable silence, seeing no need to break a moment of peace in a world that flashed by before their eyes so fast that there was no time to indulge in their ecstasies while they lasted. He glanced up and caught her grinning at him. It was a rare beauty, her eyes sparkling like champagne and a single tear twinkled on her cheek like a lone star in the night.

Without thinking, he brushed it away with the tip of his thumb, gazing into her eyes.

"Let's go watch a movie!" She exclaimed suddenly, another smile tugging playfully at her lips before she brushed it off, acting bored and twisting strands of her hair between her fingers.

This girl was just full of surprises, wasn't she?

"S-sure? What film d'ya wanna watch then?" Pulling his phone from his pocket, he intended to buy some tickets but paused over his emails. He could just check them quickly, right?

"Um... actually... I kinda wanna watch How to Train Your Dragon 3," Touka got out. Mika blanched, not looking up from his phone,"Oh shush, I just have been waiting for it to come out for a while and then I realised tha-"

"Shut up."

"Wha-what?" His face was marble, stone-cold and paler than a sheet of paper. His brow was furrowed in concentration as he gaped at his tiny phone screen.

"What's the matter?!" Touka hissed urgently. Mika barely looked up at her.

"How could this happen? How could this happen without anyone telling me?" He paused,"Fifty-six people are dead. All in the last month. This is sick. Absolutely sick,"

Touka waited with bated breath for him to continue.

"They all had the same symptoms and cause of death, same environment and each met a-," here he hesitated,"-certain set of _conditions,"_

Touka gulped, and looked down at her hands. When she happened to look up again, he had met her gaze with a determined stare.

"But I don't think it's a coincidence. I think... wait," he frowned, "I don't really think I should be telling you this, it could be ghoul-related, and strictly speaking, I'm not supposed to release this sort of information to the public except under extreme-"

"Please! Just tell me!" Her voice cracked as it gradually increased in pitch as she got more stressed. Voice barely louder than a whisper, Mika was so close to Touka now that their noses were almost touching. Up close, he could see how her eyes were bright and frightened, their pupils dilated and he was scared of her reaction to what he was about to say. If she was already terrified by such a vague statement (he was definitely _NOT_ going to tell her about the mutilated body parts or show her the attached pictures), then could she handle exactly what he was about to tell her? However, he would feel like he had betrayed her in some way if he didn't explain, like this was a vital puzzle piece that would fill in the missing link in her mind. Little did he know that he was in fact, correct.

"This is classified information. If you dare breathe a _single_ word of this to anyone, I cannot guarantee that I will be able to protect you from the rest of the CCG as my status means practically nothing compared to the rest of the higher-ups," Mika started seriously, and Touka nodded vigorously as she listened to his sincere words of warning, but she wasn't exactly paying attention to them. All she cared about was what he said next.

"Out of the 56, over half of them were found to be the survivors of the attack on Aogiri Tree a few years back. The rest were SS-rated ghouls. The results from each post-mortem was exactly the same: two different wounds inflicted on the same place on each body. With just one of these wounds alone, the victim probably could have survived as they all were stabbed both in the lung as well as the liver, purposefully avoiding any vital arteries or veins which would cause them to bleed out faster and their die a much quicker death. The killers, since it was probably an organisation of some kind, clearly wanted them to suffer,"

"Wouldn't they die from the stab wound to the lung?" Touka inquired curiously. She seemed to be taking this better than he expected, but he decided to still be cautious.

"You're less likely to die from a lung injury alone, as it may just cave in and then you will die after several hours from blood loss, but combined with the amount of internal and external bleeding sustained from the liver on top of that, they would die sooner but would still be tortured as they died a slow and painful death,"

"But wouldn't they be able to call for help?"

"They - the victims - were all found in deserted locations with no access to any form or communication as," Mika narrowed his eyes at the file he'd been sent," all victims either had no technology on them or they found scattered remains of electronical devices that they were led to believe belonged to them - we either found the owners fingerprints on them or identified them as their possessions,"

"Wow, their plan is so intricate. Why would anyone go this far?"

He was gripping the phone so tightly that his fingers were going numb, and Touka opened her mouth to tell him to calm down, that he shouldn't get so worked up about it, but he cut her off.

"The first few cases died the same way, but they were dismembered and their limbs were strewn out on the floor," he waited for don't mind of reaction out of her, but she didn't even gag. Her face remained impassive.

"Definitely him," she muttered under her breath.

"What did you say?" the blond told her. He was a little bit of an airhead sometimes, but only because his thoughts worked at such a furious pace that sometimes he didn't process everything because he subconsciously blocked it out if he didn't deem it to be important enough.

"I said 'definitely sick'" she snapped back, perhaps a little too loudly, but Mika didn't take notice. He had blocked this one out.

"In that case, I agree," Mika gritted his teeth, clenching his fists. He could understand murder with a motive, but genocide? And the people behind it were killing both humans _and_ ghouls. "It's like they're mocking us. Like they're toying with us, as if we're nothing more than pawns on their giant chessboard. Like they're showing us up by being stronger than both our species," he paused, realising just how childish he sounded, and then continued flicking through the report.

It was sent to him straight through email, which meant anyone could easily hack into the system, open the file and see all the enclosed information, so why was it so? It was dangerous to have things as open as that. Touka pondered this as she peered over the side of his phone, before he snatched it away, clutching it protectively to his chest.

"I should go," he stood up, gathering his belongings and preparing to leave. He had turned away when the young waitress cried out, fumbling for excuses.

"But you haven't finished!" She tried to get in front of him as he moved towards the door, but he easily sidestepped and continued walking. Just as he reached for the handle, however, she darted right in front of him, blocking his way. A few curious heads turned their way, but a glare from both sent them back to cowering in their seats.

"Please let me pass," he said coolly, his eyes empty. There was no sympathy to be found there.

"No," Touka replied politely, but forcefully. There was a fire in her eyes, but Mika was too preoccupied with the swirling inner turmoil he was experiencing in his head to even notice the sparking heat, let alone try and understand the reason for it. Then he gave up, and his shoulders sagged as he let out the breath that he didn't even realize he was holding.

"Touka-chan..." his tone became softer, gentler. "I told you things you weren't even supposed to know. At some point the media's gonna find out and there'll be a mad panic, and even if they already have, either way, the investigation is happening _right now_ , and I need to find out exactly what's going on and if they need me there. I know you want more answers but I can't give them to you - you're not even supposed to know about this and right now you know about as much as I do. So I have to go and work this out," he watched her throughout his little speech as she went through several stages of exasperation, anger, fear and then even sadness until a tranquil look of acceptance cleansed her face into the calm of acceptance. No ripples contorted this still lake.

She held open the door.

As he walked out onto the street, he glanced over his shoulder at her, and saw a strange expression on her face. It took him years to realize what it was, but when he finally did, he felt a strange sense of peace wash over him, a cool balm of serenity. It was love.

He was like her stupid little kid brother out on an adventure, exploring the big, wide world. He reminded her of her real one, and the bittersweet memories always flooded back when around him. Somehow, more instinct than fact, she knew that some terrible fate awaited him so she didn't want him to go. She knew that he wouldn't be the same the next time they met, and saw their goodbye at the door as a sort of last farewell. He would be different. So she smiled a sad little smile, and whispered goodbye to the wind.

* * *

 _Well that was interesting,_ Mika thought as he hurried away. 56 deaths? IN ONE MONTH?! Killing someone, or sometimes a group of people, was acceptable if there was a good enough reason for it. Revenge, for instance, was a totally understandable circumstance and he couldn't find it in himself to blame someone if it was in self-defence either. However, cold-blooded murder of that many people was disgusting. He'd had psychopathic tendencies and random urges to harm and murder people before, but never on that scale or as viciously.

He'd come across situations like this before - a genocide just to satisfy their longing for blood. But this many at once? That was going too far. Mika had a strange sense of morality. He had something which vaguely resembled a conscience, but he also wasn't fazed by any form of blood or gore. It was only the loss of life which unnerved him, because of the suffering of others that they left behind and the impact of what has befallen them. In all honesty, he was just a mess and a walking contradiction. He also had no hatred towards ghouls, he just detested the truly gluttonous, selfish ones. The rest just struggled to survive in a fucked up world. Sometimes he wished that there was a a way for both races to work together, but he dismissed such fanatical reveries.

No matter how beautiful, the world was a cruel place and both his and Yu's past was a constant reminder of that. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he walked right into a stranger, a girl around his age.

"Oh, sorry!" He wasn't sorry. He didn't care. "Are you alright?" _I wish I pushed you into the road instead._ He looked her up and down to check if she was alright. He had to keep up a pretence of some kind, unless rumours started circulating about him.

"I'm fine thanks - don't worry!" she smiled - it was a cute smile but it was clearly fake - he could easily tell since he had practised so many times in the mirror that he could tell when it didn't reach her eyes. She intrigued him, but he actually had things to do so he strode off after another short apology before he realised he should take a shortcut if he wanted to get to headquarters quicker. However, he didn't know the alleyways and backstreets very well and wasn't sure if he should try or not.

He decided to risk it. What was the worst thing that could happen? He was being reckless and stupid but this time he didn't care. Being mugged wasn't as bad as being killed by a ghoul and he knew that this was a safe district. From ghouls, at least.

He started off down one alleyway, taking note of how much quieter and darker it got as he went deeper in. It almost felt like a labyrinth. In that case, did it make him Theseus? He seriously hoped that there wasn't a Minotaur. The place stank of urine and dark green moss was starting to grow in the cracks between the grimy bricks. The ground under his feet slowly turned to sludge, the light growing dimmer as he slowly turned more corners and walked further away from civilization and happiness. Well, that's what it felt like to him.

Soon the only sounds that could be heard were his gradually increasing heartbeat, his rasping breaths and quickening footsteps. Or occasionally, the steady **drip drip drip** of water droplets up ahead. The constricting darkness, the absence of both light and people and the cold draught whistling through the labyrinth - wait, no, _alleyways -_ all sent chills running up Mika's spine and made his hair stand on end. He thought that if he didn't get out of there soon, he would probably go insane. _Coward,_ he thought to himself. But then he would, unlike those poor victims, have a dismembered _mental state,_ though he wasn't entirely sure how that would work considering mental states didn't actually have limbs. Oh well.

Suddenly, a flurry of movement caught his eye and he turned to look. There, leaning casually against the wall, was the girl from before.

She was short in stature, but what she lacked in height she made up for in attitude. Her entire demeanour screamed dangerous, but simultaneously lured him in. Must be the adrenaline of a threat making him do that.

"Hey again," she drawled slowly, almost seductively,"You shouldn't be out here on your own when you don't know your way round. Ç'est dangereux..."she purred. Her ashen was blowing in the breeze, but it was restrained by a bandana which immediately caught Mika's attention.

It had a little symbol on it - similar to a crest but darker, more evil somehow. From the little magical training that he had acquired from the CCG, he could tell instantly that it was an ancient symbol, probably belonging to a magical sect from another universe. As unbelievable as it seemed, there really _were_ other universes. It was an illegal practice to attempt to travel to another universe or through time since it created paradoxes and could possibly cause irrevocable damage to their universe and to the fabric of time. However, only those who had the power to do this could travel between universes. Not many had the strength or will of mind to possess this Power, but there was one way to cheat. If mutilated enough, a human could become conveyor of this particular power and travel between universes and worlds but these mutilations were dangerous and expensive so the government's and country leaders across the world banned them. However, some people had different types of powers because of a huge radioactive explosion that was caused when the first people came from the other universe/s. _However, none of the public know about this as of yet which brings us back to our subject at hand, which means that technically she shouldn't be able to have a magical object and-_

"What are you thinking about?" She cooed, stalking towards him. She didn't seem like the type of person to coo unless she had to. "Nothing too dirty I hope!" she giggled, coming every closer. She had a very revealing top, and Mika had to look away. As she edged nearer, he had to look away pointedly until he wondered whether this was on purpose. It was all very distracting, almost like -

 **SHIT.**

He whirled around just as a fist collided with his face and he staggered, clutching his nose as bright blood trickled through his fingers and stained his pale shirt crimson. As he stepped back over the waiting foot ready to trip him up, he caught sight of the girl and her cruel smirk and knew that he was done for. His head smacked into the wall and he blearily gazed up at the approaching figures as his vision turned red. He was now nothing more than a lamb waiting for the slaughter, and his imminent death. The glint of steel in the palm of the burly man who had broken his nose barely registered in his dazed brain, and he leant back against the wall with his eyes closed as he tried to fight the searing pain reaching from the back of his neck to the centre of his forehead. He was woozy from blood loss and a sizable injury so he randomly wished he had some string like Theseus. Then maybe somehow people could find him! But then he realised that the only strings that were attached to him were being pulled - he was a lifeless puppet frail in the hands of his masters.

But it was cool, the bricks. A good way to die, you know? A good way to die.

That was his last thought before he passed out.

* * *

 **So... that happened. So many questions! But first of all, this chapter is one of three parts where we explain what happens before the 1st chapter, Flickering Streetlamps. So this is basically the 1st part of Chapter Two. But, more importantly, PLOT! NEW CHARACTERS! CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT (sorta). ALSO MAGICKEEEEE. So this is more than just a simple AU. But I have so many questions in my head right now because I know where this is going but also don't because I have a major plot hole to fill which I can't tell you about because *SPOILERS* and I have to mention that, yes, this is an extremely slow burn because Mika is dumb and also I want plot and I'M SORRY FOR THE IMPLIED MIKA/TOUKA THING BUT I WANTED JEALOUSY AND REALIZATION AND BUILD UP AND SHITE and it was surprisingly fun to write hee hee and also the plots gonna be twisted and confusing cos it's a FUCKING MURDER MYSTERY WITH MAGIC BECAUSE I'M A CRAZY DUM BITCH AND also I love u if you're reading this because I haven't updated in half a year also my updates are gonna be really slow. If you didn't get the labyrinth myth you are uneducated and it is an ancient myth that you can look up on the Google.**

 **also if you confused and shit already cos I'm a bad writer so already have plot holes TELL ME PM ME REVIEW WHATEVER I DON'T GIVE A SHIT also pls review im lonely**

 **P.S idk how the CCG works so just go with the flow im not really gonna go into the details of that**

 **P.P.S I'm not an expert or anything on biology don't trust anything I say i looked it up on Quota and there was some freaky shit right there. Also yes I know that Touka wouldn't give her customers cake with flesh in especially not Mika but I just thought it was funny so... -_-**

 **P.P.P.S thank you for reading this far you're amazing love you :3**


	4. Chapter 2: Amnesia Part Two

**Guys I seriously don't know what the fuck I'm doing.**

* * *

 ** _Song of the Chapter: Devil On My Shoulder - Faith Marie (The Nightcore version is the one I originally listened to)_**

* * *

 ** _Chapter Two: Synesthesia Part Two - Paint Balls and Curtains_**

 ** _GETOUTOFMYHEADGETOUTOFMYHEADGETOUTOFMADGETOUTOFMYHEADGETOUTOFMYHEADGETOUTOFMYHEADGETOUTOFMY-_**

 _"M-Mika?" Blearily, Mika opened his sleepy eyes and suddenly his line of sight was obstructed by a young girl. She was his age, but she was more mature both mentally and physically. Though she might just have seemed taller because she was standing over him - it wasn't like he was short for his twelve years._ **Hold up...** _A baby-blue bow tied back most of her soft chestnut hair, but the few loose strands framed a delicate face and dazzling emerald eyes filled with anxiety._

 _"You were screaming in your sleep again," she murmured softly. She collapsed onto the bed beside him, suddenly very interested in a dead woodlouse on the floor. Mika waited. She was sad, and he didn't understand why, but he wanted to make his best friend happy._ **Wait what about Yuichirou? He'd never even heard of this girl...**

 _Her name was Monika, and he'd known her since he'd joined Hyakuya Orphanage four years ago, when he was eight. His parents had abandoned him at the age of four, but he had lived with several different foster families until he was transferred -_ **What the fuck was this? He met Yu, not Monika or whatever her name was at Hyakuya Orphanage. But... this felt so real. Was this some sort of dream or-**

 _"I'm fine. The nightmares weren't even that bad," Mika lied, but he reached out to clutch her hand in reassurance - he would do anything to see her smile again, even if it meant he had to do bad things. B-but... it wasn't bad if it was meant to do good, was it? Monika turned to him with the corners of her lips upturned, and although he could tell that she didn't completely believe him, she didn't want to push him any further. Good. That was good._ **He had never done anything specifically for someone else that didn't benefit him in some way, even indirectly. He'd grown up trusting, caring for no one because he learnt early on there was no point - they all just pretended to care about you because they needed you for something. However, he seemed to be willing to do anything for this strange girl in this reality. But exactly who _was_ she?**

 _"Okay," she smiled sweetly, dimpling her cheeks and looking even cuter than before. "But you don't have to worry anymore. I'll always be here for you, and we'll be together forever,"_

 _"Yup. Together, forever," Mika echoed, copying her smile. They sat there for a little while like that, holding hands in a moment of silence as the world went on outside, oblivious to everything and everyone else._

* * *

Mika woke with a lump in his throat. He desperately wanted to cry out, but instinct told him not to even move. He could try and pretend that it was just a dream, but it felt more real than that. However, he was in unfamiliar territory here and there were more important things to think about right now. Like the fact that there was a drip in his arm, possibly connecting him to life support. And that there were other people nearby, wherever the hell he was.

Oh yeah - and he was pretty sure they were talking about him. But honestly, if they didn't want him to hear then why didn't they just talk outside? There were probably plenty of other people around because this was either a sort of hospital or some sort of illegal lab, but what were the chances of that? That definitely hadn't been in his job description, even if he had signed up for something pretty messed up. All the worst shit seemed to happen to him for some reason. Fate just didn't seem to be on his side, though some brilliant accident had given him Yu, the boy who had saved his life and mind when he was at his most fragile, most vulnerable. That was a story for another time, though. It was funny how life turned out, wasn't it?

He wasn't usually supposed to eavesdrop (or use any of the skills he had picked up during training) for anything that wasn't ghoul-related, but considering that he was in God-knows-where and had nearly just died, he decided that it was probably extreme enough of a situation that he could stretch the rules just a little bit. That might be a bit of an understatement, though.

Straining his ears, he tried to catch just a snatch of their conversation, but he could only hear the occasional word and that didn't help at all. From what he could tell, there was some sort of object blocking him off from them, as their hushed voices seemed slightly muffled. Maybe a curtain? He really couldn't tell. However, that made him more certain that he was in a hospital room or something similar. It was quite stuffy and the lights were way too vibrant and glaring to have been placed somewhere more homely. The lights were so darn bright he could see them through his eyelids.

Suddenly, the voices - the _two_ voices - raised in pitch and noise, a note of urgency cracking the fluency. The words were now much easier to comprehend, and Mika managed to work out a few basic phrases.

"... levels... extremely high... lose control of him,"

.".. only here for the money... no, we can't... you know he'd kill us,"

"Kureto?"

"Shut up!... soon be dead,"

"And wouldn't _that_ be a pity?" A piercing voice reverberated through his eardrums and he recoiled instinctively, before mentally cursing himself for breaking his cover. Hold up. He could salvage this.

"What the hell was that? Where am I? Who are you?" He feigned bewilderment and utter confusion. As they say, _ignorance is bliss,_ and nobody suspects you if you seem thick. A young nurse - at least that's what he hoped she was - was bending over his bed, a bright, cheesy grin plastered on her face. Her eyes crinkled at the corners.

The room was quite small, but it was just enough to fit in all the essentials - although the only objects in the room was the bed he was currently residing in (quite comfortably, if he was honest), a few plastic chairs, a giant curtain separating him from the other half of the room and a large piece of equipment towering over his head, supplying him with meds whilst simultaneously monitoring his heartbeat and checking up on his brainwaves. The white-washed walls looked so gloomy he felt the irrational urge to throw some paintballs at it.

"You're awake!" She cheerfully stated the obvious, causing Mika to frown as he internally cringed away, even if he was nodding respectfully on the outside. _No, I'm clearly asleep,_ he retorted irritably in his head, but didn't mention it because he wouldn't get very far in life if he acted like a complete dickhead all the time. Damn, that was an important epiphany - he wished he'd worked that out earlier on.

After he had stopped criticising his life choices, he peered up inquisitively at the young woman, who smiled kindly but said nothing else, instead turning to vigorously beckon a man and woman hunched over in a corner whom he had not noticed before. Mika presumed them to both be in their early thirties, and there was no one else in the room so they must have been the owners of the voices he had heard beforehand.

The awkward pair shuffled over somewhat reluctantly, before perching on the very edge of the chairs next to his bedside.

"Mikaela Hyakuya?" the woman asked, glancing at him briefly for confirmation. At first sight, she seemed like a meek and spineless coward, but there was a fire in her eyes that almost made him afraid of her. _Never judge a book by its cover._ He watched her drum her long perfect talons against a blue folder resting on her lap, which he suspected was only there to make them look professional. Everything they were about to tell him would be simplified so much that even a three-year-old would understand what they meant. They had managed to find his name, but they couldn't possibly know who he really was, or what his job was. They probably just believed he was an average twenty-year-old, not one of the most valued personages in the force. He was the real brains behind the brawl in the CCG, one of the few people who got the most information. One thing many people didn't realise was that ghouls weren't just savage animals, they had average and sometimes higher intelligence than a human, so they needed people to go and find things out, kind of like spies but a bit more nerdy. Yeah, Mika could be like the Japanese version of 007. _The name's Shindo. Mika Shindo._

He peeked up to catch her smirking faintly, almost as if she knew what he was thinking, but that wasn't possible. _Or was it?_

"Mikaela..." she started off, clearly trying to be comforting and failing. She was just too fake - honestly she should take a crash course in how to act because in reality she was far more daunting than reassuring. He was tempted to tell her to just cut the crap, until he noticed the man's hand shift to his pocket out of the very corner of his eye. _He has a gun. This is **not** a hospital._

Mikaela gulped, his heart throbbing in his throat. He almost missed the warning glance the woman sent the guy's way, her hurried cough to cover it up and when his hand slid back to his thigh. The loony girl from before was gazing dreamily out the window, but he couldn't see what she was looking at or where the bloody hell he was because there was a stupid _curtain_ blocking it from him. _Hmmm... what a **fucking** coincidence._ He needed to get the hell out of here - _fast._ There was no telling what could happen if he stayed here a minute later.

"Calm down, _Mika._ You'll be out of here soon enough... unless we deem you to be unfit to leave," The threat hung in the air. He wanted to cut the words from her mouth and throw them away. He wasn't staying any longer, and that was final. He was going to escape as soon as the timing was right.

"Why the hell would I be unfit?" he almost growled. But he kept his cool. He stared defiantly up at the adults, aware of his disadvantage below them but not really caring. The woman had startling green eyes, but where Yu's glimmered of the colours of a luscious field on a summers' day, hers were the cold and calculating eyes of a predator, waiting to jump out and snap up her prey.

Mika swallowed, feeling something cold settle in the pit of his stomach, intimidated by something he didn't understand. There was something unsettling about her empty stare, like she wasn't completely alive or... completely _human._ The longer he gazed into her eyes, the more on edge he felt. He eventually cracked, breaking what felt like a staring competition and flicking his eyes to the side. He expected her features to betray something, but her monotone portrayed nothing but sympathy and understanding. Well - to the untrained ear. To him, it just sounded flat and bland.

"You had an operation, _sweetie_ ,"

* * *

 **Ah I updated late again. I made this chapter shorter than it was supposed to be cuz I didn't want to update** _**really**_ **late but the next chapter was supposed to not have this much so I guess this being cut off doesn't really matter. I know no one's actually reading this, but I still feel like I need to constantly update. Also... my plot is confusing as hell but Owl City makes it so much better. :)**


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